Euromat 99, Functional Materials

Book excerpt: Functional materials, often called smart or advanced materials, offer new combinations of physical properties (e.g., electrical, optical or magnetic) that make them attractive for use in such modern high-tech industries as telecommunications or microelectronics. In this book, the fundamentals of functional materials from all classes of materials - ceramics, polymers, metals and alloys - are discussed as well as their applications in information technology, fuel cells, systems for renewable energy and sensors and actuators